Garcia orders contractor to rehab oval in 50 days

CEBU CITY (May 20, 2024) – Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia orders the immediate suspension of pending procurement activities related to the city’s hosting of the Palarong Pambansa this July.  

He said he wants a review of all bidding activities related to the Palaro to check if there are some items that need to be prioritized or deferred.

“I am just going to look at it, review it, (and) prioritize it. (I will) look at the items nga asa ta maka-save,” Garcia told a press conference this morning.

“Give me three days and I will be done then balik napud ta sa procurement process,” he added.

Acting Mayor Raymond Garcia shows his written order to BAC to suspend procurement activities related to the Palaro. | 📷 PIO / Allan Defensor

The acting mayor made the order after he received information over some delays in the preparations for the Palaro such as rehabilitation of rubberized track oval at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC).

Garcia also wants the contractor in charge of rehabilitating the oval to visit his office and explain why it took them this long to start work.

The acting mayor signed an order this morning to the city’s Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) to defer some of its pending activities related to the Palaro, which includes the conduct of bidding, issuance of notices of award, notice to proceed, purchase orders, and contracts, among others.

The BAC were also instructed to issue the “necessary advisories, notices, and postponements to the bidders, contractors, and consultants and its publication in the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System and the Cebu City government websites.”

Priority

Garcia said he received information from well-meaning individuals and members of the City Council on their apprehensions of some procurement activities done in relation to the Palaro.

“Daghan kaayo og information coming from other offices nga basin daghang items nga dili priority o’ dili kinahanglanon,” he said.

One example that Garcia cited was the plan to spend P49 million to rent out portable toilets for the Palaro participants.

“I want to know nganong mo-rent ta, nga pwede raman na nato paliton. I want to know the wisdom of that,” he said.

Aside from the BAC, Garcia plans to invite the Palaro’s organizing committee to also explain if there is a need to continue some of the budgeted items.

Unfinished. Parts of the Cebu City Sports Center’s grandstand remains incomplete even as the city’s holding of the Palarong Pambansa is just less than two months away. | 📷 PIO / Allan Defensor

Oval rehab

Garcia said he also visited the CCSC this morning to inspect the rehabilitation of the track oval.

He ordered the contractor to speedup its work at the track oval so it can be used for the Palaro.

The acting mayor said that the rehabilitation works on the track is still “on the right track.” “I think makaapas pa ta ani kay its still 50 days to go (before the Palaro),” he said.

He also assured his order to suspend some procurement activities will not affect the track oval’s rehabilitation.

Where’s the rubber? The CCSC’s track oval has yet to be rubberized even as the Palarong Pambansa is just less than two months away. | 📷 PIO / Allan Defensor

Garcia said if the contractor cannot finish the rehabilitation on time due to some unforeseen factor, the organizers can always move some of the sports events to other venues.

He said the City was able to move some of the athletic events that were supposed to be set at the track oval to other venues during the Central Visayas Regional Athletics Association (CViRAA) meet.

“If you remember that during the CViRAA, we were able to make do without the oval. In fact, nabuhat nana nato before, there is no reason nganong dili nato mabuhat karun,” he added. | RMN / jkv

CCPO to request for more cops for Palaro ‘24